Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Winning the Lottery: What Would You Do?

I was talking with a friend recently about winning the lottery. It's a great fantasy to think about getting a ton of money and turning in your old life for a new one filled with buckets of caviar, gold plated computers and money fights.

When most people talk about winning the lottery, they think about what they would buy, and my friend was no exception.

“What would you do?” I asked him.

He immediately began rattling off a detailed list of purchases that he would make. It was clear this was not the first time he had thought about this.

I interrupted him, “But what would you do?"

He stopped and pondered in silence for a while. This was not something he had thought about.

As great as it would be to win enough money never to have to work again, waking up each day with no real sense of purpose isn't enough for me. I need to be doing something, though if I didn't have to do anything, I'm not sure what I'd do. Maybe I'd write full time. Or perhaps I'd find a cool hobby or take up golf. I'd like to see more of the world than just the United States.  But the reality is while all of these things sound like fun they aren't enough to fill up the rest of my life. I would need to be challenged. I would need to turn on my brain. Vacations are fun, but if there is nothing to counter-balance them, it's easy to imagine life becoming stale.  Without the need to work, what would propel me through life?  I'd like to think that I would be the type of person to use my financial freedom to better the world in some way--start a charity or something noble like that.  

The idea of filling up your life with possessions is easy, but filling up all of that time is much harder. If given all of that money and all of that freedom, what would you do with it?

25 comments:

LilliGirl said...

Ooooooo...I like fantasy. lol

I'd pay all my bills, take care of some for the fam, stash away money for kids college, budget the rest to strech it out and start my own business.

DGB said...

LilliGirl...What kind of business?

TentCamper said...

This is easy!!
I would move the family to Tahiti or Bali, build an awesome compound of huts and start up (and lead) a fully equipped search and rescue company where I would spend my time working with the local authorities to rescue and save people...while Mariah home-schools the kids!!

Your escalator operator said...

Two words: Bugatti Veyron. But also: Helping my wife start her animal shelter. And donating to music and education charities.

Danielle said...

If I had anything left after I paid all of my families debts, I would travel and really look into the history of where I travel to. I seem to be becoming facinated with history.

Anonymous said...

I would love to be able to volunteer at my son's school. I'd also want to visit with family that I don't have the pleasure living near anymore.
I think you are right...what comes after that? Days of boredom. And when all of your friends work, it's not like you can hang out and do lunch.
I do know that, being a mommy, I always feel the need to help less fortunate children. I would like to think that I could make use of my time by helping in that way.

P.S. I'd still throw in the boob job and tummy tuck for added measure.

Unknown said...

I would give most of it to my kids, travel and start a charity foundation helping families get back on their feet.

Keith Wilcox said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Keith Wilcox said...

Winning the lottery would be great in that I wouldn't have to worry about finances, but I agree with you that I'd also need to keep myself busy to keep feeling useful. I'd probably pour myself into learning languages or music or something. No need to keep working for money, but to keep busy is the important thing.

Debbie said...

hmmm... I would first become a stay at home mom again! Be able to be involved with my kids COMPLETELY! I would buy a SMALL house...with a BIG yard , for all the strays we collect! I would write a book, and be available to single moms and hurting, heartbroken people! I would travel with my family and go on mission trips! I would take care of my parents so they could retire and enjoy their years left!...I would go to college so I could be a teacher when my kids left home...I guess thats it! for now!:)

The Peach Tart said...

Travel travel travel.

SciFi Dad said...

After the easy-to-predict basics (pay off the mortgage and car, move into a larger house, replace vehicles, setup large enough education funds for the kids), I'd probably take some time off of everything. When I went back to working, it would either be writing, playing music, or web design (all things I enjoy but cannot earn enough of a living with).

OneZenMom said...

Oh, this is our favorite game. I would move to Hawaii and write for me, instead of for others.:)
The ZenHusband would open a microbrewery. And I'd dabble in a used book store. ;)

SweetPeaSurry said...

I have to agree with you ... I get panicked thinking about what I'm going to do with my time when I'm 'retired' and that's 24.5 years away!!! However, I do have a set plan for when I DO win the lottery ... in order to be fulfilled and challenged ... I would do volunteer work in various areas. I would travel and I would work on my photography. I would probably take some additional college classes in subjects I want to learn about just for fun. I would definately keep bizzy ... but 'The Man' wouldn't be dictating my life anymore.

blessings!

professional search engine optimization said...

The only people who say such rubbish things as that are usually the ones who are so lacking in knowledge about being psychic and the whole psychic world that they are unable to separate Psychic from Fortune teller and this is the best of winning the lottery.

DGB said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DGB said...

To everyone else, thanks for your comments...keep 'em coming!

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

I do photography full-time. Immerse myself in it. I would love it! I could travel anywhere and donate my photography time for those that couldn't afford it and just take pictures for the love of it and that alone!!!

I would have to admit, I'd travel a lot

and probably buy a few thousand things ;)

Anjeny said...

Uhhh Zenmom...I'd be your most frequent customer at your used bookstore.

What would I do? So many things I can do with the money..first, set aside for all my kids' college, mission, weddings, even their first houses.

Then I'd pay off the mortgage and the rest of our bills, travel to Africa, Ireland and Jerusalem and then use the rest of the money to put myself back into school to get into a medical career. If after all this, I still have money left over, I'd just give it to my extended family..siblings, parents, in-laws, whoever needs it.

Barney said...

Pay the bills...
buy a house
buy a car
take some vacations that are much needed...

Start 2 business.. my own sports bar.. and then also a animal kennel/rescue place.

Great dream though..

Jack Steiner said...

It would be good for some of my friends. I'd have to pay them to quit working so that I'd have more people to hang out with.

I'd definitely start another business or two. Makes it much easier when you aren't worried about feeding a family.

Swirl Girl said...

I have better 'lottery' dreams than sex dreams. I never kiss and tell.

professional search engine optimization said...

Well i did not purchase one but in sure where you can buy them online would have customer reviews.

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